Cities in Malta: towns, harbours and where to base yourself

What cities in Malta are like

Strictly speaking, Malta has few cities. It has a capital, an old capital, three fortified harbour towns and a string of resort towns that have grown together along the coast. The distances are short, which means choosing a base is more a question of atmosphere than of travel time. This hub covers eleven places, from Floriana’s long bastions to Victoria on Gozo.

Valletta and its neighbour Floriana

Valletta was founded in 1566 after the Great Siege and is a UNESCO World Heritage city, with Baroque churches, museums and harbour views. It is the hub of the bus network, with services arriving at the terminus by City Gate, and it is hilly, so comfortable shoes matter. It has no beach of its own.

Floriana adjoins it, named after the engineer Pietro Paolo Floriani, with long bastion lines, gardens and the church of St Publius. The simplest approach from Valletta is on foot out of City Gate. It is flat and open, with little shade, so bring water in summer.

Across the harbour: the Three Cities

The Three Cities are Vittoriosa (Birgu), Senglea and Cospicua, three fortified towns on the Grand Harbour with Siege history, Baroque churches and views of Valletta. A boat across the harbour is the most scenic way to arrive, and walking is the best way to move between the towns. The streets are narrow and hilly, and the quiet corners are the main pleasure.

The old capital and its neighbour

Mdina is Malta’s old capital on a hilltop, enclosed by walls, with narrow lanes, palaces and a Baroque cathedral. Cars are limited inside the walls, so the usual approach is to park outside and walk in. It is small and quiet, best early or late.

Rabat lies directly outside the walls and shares the bus stops. It holds St Paul’s and St Agatha’s catacombs, the Roman villa Domus Romana, the Wignacourt Museum and more than a dozen historic churches. Most sights have their own opening times, so check before building a tight route.

The seaside towns

Sliema is the busiest seaside town, with a long promenade, rocky bathing spots, shopping at The Point and a ferry across Marsamxett Harbour to Valletta. St Julian’s follows on the same coast, with quiet Spinola Bay, small Balluta Bay, a marina and the nightlife district of Paceville, which is loud late into the night, so choose a hotel street with that in mind.

Buġibba is a busy resort on the north-east coast, joined to Qawra, with a long promenade, rock swimming spots and the National Aquarium. It is flat and walkable. Further north, Mellieħa is a hill town above the longest sandy beach on the island, with a war shelter, a bird reserve, Popeye Village and the ferry to Gozo nearby. The old centre is on a steep ridge, with the beach downhill.

In the south-east, Marsaxlokk is a fishing village known for its colourful luzzu boats, a Sunday fish market and seafood restaurants on the harbour front.

Gozo’s capital

Victoria is the centre of Gozo, known locally as Rabat, with the hilltop Citadel, a Baroque cathedral, museums, a market square and quiet public gardens. It is the hub of Gozo’s bus network, and most routes from the Mgarr ferry port pass through its terminus. The Citadel needs at least half a day, and its museums keep separate opening times.

Days, evenings and sleeping

Each town has its own rhythm. Valletta and Mdina are at their best early in the morning and in the evening, when day visitors thin out. The seaside towns fill after the beach hours, with promenades busy from late afternoon. Marsaxlokk wakes up on Sunday morning for the fish market, and Mellieħa’s old centre sits quietly on its ridge while the bay below is busy.

For sleeping, think about noise as well as location. Paceville in St Julian’s is loud late into the night, while Spinola Bay stays calm in the early evening. A room on a side street in Sliema or Valletta is quieter than one on the front, and a hill town such as Mdina or Mellieħa gives a different feel from a resort strip.

Choosing a base

For a first trip without a car, Sliema or St Julian’s is the safest choice: frequent buses, a ferry to Valletta and restaurants on the front. For history, sleep in Valletta, the Three Cities or Mdina and take buses for beaches. For beaches, Mellieħa puts Golden Bay, Mellieħa Bay and the Gozo ferry close by.

Match the town to the time of day as well. Mdina and Valletta are best in the early morning and the evening, Marsaxlokk on a Sunday morning, and the resort strips from late afternoon. Parking is difficult almost everywhere in town centres, so plan to use buses or walk.